Exiles
by darkestboy
Summary: The Doctor and Susan find themselves exiled from Gallifrey and take to Earth as their new stomping ground. Meanwhile, Barbara and Ian meet for the first time and share a mutual interest in the behaviour of Susan. Set before and during An Unearthly Child


**Name: **Exiles  
**Characters: **The Doctor (1st), Susan Foreman, Ian Chesterton, Barbara Wright  
**Synopsis: **The Doctor and Susan find themselves exiled from Gallifrey and take to Earth as their new stomping ground. Meanwhile, Barbara and Ian meet for the first time and share a mutual interest in the behaviour of Susan. Set before and during _An Unearthly Child_

"They say you can never go home again," the wizened man brooded philosophically to an audience of one other person aside from himself. "You do know what that means, child?"

"We're runaways," Susan nodded attentively. "Exiles."

"Precisely," the Doctor had nodded, acknowledging that his granddaughter had succinctly described what the both of them had become.

The Doctor was always something of a rebellious man, something which didn't best please the Time Lords or the High Council on Gallifrey but he knew as well as they did that rules sometimes needed to be broken.

The High Council had always had a reputation for being too priggish and the Doctor was aware that he was often regarded with disdain at worst and amusement at best. Neither were flattering attitudes, especially when on more than one occasion, the Doctor knew that his 'woolly free thinking' actually proved beneficial. It was because of one of his ideas that the High Council had survived a recent assassination attempts.

Unfortunately, even with foreknowledge of an attack, there had still been some casualties and the Doctor had been rendered the scapegoat in all of this. As a result, he was exiled from his own planet.

"Where do we go from here?" Susan asked with some trepidation. She loved her grandfather but he was unpredictable at the best of times.

"I know a place," the Doctor replied, a coy smile on his face. Susan still didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing.

The place in question had turned out to be Terra Firma, better known as Earth. Susan had done some brief reading on the planet and to her surprise, she discovered that she actually quite enjoyed the place.

Sending her to school was a good way of blending in for the both of them. Susan could continue her studies, which she had no problem with but making friends had been something of an oddity for her. It was also something that she noticed was well spotted by her teachers as well.

"Susan, you've been here for quite a while now and you still seem to be a little lost," Barbara Wright had told her. "Are you sure you're settling in?"

"Yes, yes," Susan flustered a little, clearly embarrassed by the question. "Everything is fine."

"I know you excel in your studies but for a girl your age, it's also important that you make friends," Barbara continued. "You do know that."

"I know. It's just some of the other classmates don't seem to understand me," Susan admitted, letting her guard down a little. "They think I'm an odd child."

"You are exceptionally bright for your age," Barbara agreed. "Tell me, what do you do outside of your studies?"

"I read. I spend time with my grandfather. It's just the both of us," Susan looked out the window, then remembering her curfew. "I have to go."

"Very well," Barbara smiled at her. "Just take what I said about making friends on board. You can never have enough friends."

As Susan left the school area, Barbara grabbed her bag, deciding to head home herself. In the hallway, she had spotted Ian, who immediately stopped in his tracks to converse with her.

"You're here fairly late. I thought I was the only one who did that," Ian smiled at her, his tone playful.

"I just had some stuff to clear up," Barbara said. "It's been one of those days."

"I know the feeling," Ian replied. "Would you like a lift home?"

"Why not?" Barbara smiled, accepting the gesture. Her own car had been undergoing repairs and she knew that she had already missed the bus so the offer of a lift home couldn't have come at a better. In the car, the two of them shared tales of first time teaching experiences while both trying to figure out the conundrum that was Susan Foreman in their own thoughts.

Susan enjoyed the walk home. It was a cool November night, the air was chilly but not bitterly cold. She had come to regard this planet as her own in a way. Her and her grandfather had lived there for months, the TARDIS parked in the old junkyard. She took out her key and let herself in.

Smoke had surrounded the console and she could see that her grandfather was putting out a small fire with an extinguisher. The fact that he would use something so human in order to salvage a machine so alien made her smile. He looked up, between frustrated grunts and coughs.

"Susan my dear, what time do you call this?" A part of his voice sounded annoyed but mostly there was concern.

"I went to the library," she smiled, pulling out a book of poems from WB Yeats. The Doctor looked at the book, his face giving no indication.

"Pleasant fellow," the Doctor finally said. "Is something on your mind, child?"

The comment caught Susan a little off guard but she answered it with total honesty. "Do you think we made the right decision, grandfather, moving to this planet?"

"We haven't been exiled from it so far," he responded, with a tint of humour that surprised Susan more than the earlier question he had asked her. "Don't you? I thought you liked that new school."

"I do, it's just sometimes, I wish we could go home. We did nothing wrong so why should we be cast out like evil spirits?"

The Doctor smiled. For a girl of only fifteen years of age, Susan did have a perceptiveness about her that he often didn't credit her with. Her response had been valid and fair. There was no just reason for him and Susan to be banished from their home planet, they had done nothing wrong. Unfortunately for Susan, she had to learn a lot earlier that not everything in life was going to be fair.

"This is our home now," the Doctor smiled, hugging his granddaughter. "Though that doesn't mean we can't explore other worlds. Just say the word and I'll set the co-ordinates."

Susan smiled, considering it but ultimately she'd decline his offer for the time being. There was no reason why they couldn't stay on Earth for a bit longer. Somewhere deep inside, she had a feeling that things were going to get very interesting on this modest little world.

- The End -


End file.
